Firefighters Continue Search For Victims After Deadly House Fire And Explosion

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A child is killed and three others injured in a rowhouse fire that caused part of the building to collapse. It happened just as elementary students were walking home from school. Brave bystanders helped firefighters tear through debris before a body was found underneath.

Christie Ileto has more.

Cell phone video shows residents frantically digging through piles of bricks on North Lakewood Avenue after they describe hearing an explosion that killed one person and sent a rowhome up in flames Wednesday.

“It was a school-aged child that we found beneath the rubble outside the house,” said Ian Brennan.

“I just heard boom,” said Anthony Sampe.

First responders arrived to find the home collapsed and engulfed in heavy smoke.

Gene Brown watched in horror as the walls tumbled onto two kids.

“I did everything I could to get over there. One of the kids got up and took off running. Myself and several other men started digging for the other kid,” he said. “The heat got so intense, we had to move.”

It’s unclear how the fire started. BGE is now on the scene and they’ve been checking gas meters up and down North Lakewood to determine if there was a gas leak in the vicinity.